Fix It All with Dye
by Chloryl
Summary: Naruto was given one chance to change the past, which Obito claimed, had the potential to save the shinobi world. "You were given that power to fix the course of history and you change your HAIR COLOUR! Dobe." "Geez, calm down, it's just hair dye. I wished for hair dye, okay?" "NO IT'S NOT OKAY YOU BAKA."
1. First Chance

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

And then they were falling.

Like the last time they fought, they were enveloped in a soft, golden glow.

Unlike the last time they fought, Sasuke was fatally wounded.

Naruto's eyes widened in panic, almost forgetting that the two of them were plummeting towards the ground at terminal velocity. He was sickened at the sight of fresh blood pouring copiously from his rival's chest as he disappeared into the mist, chuckling softly to himself. Had Sasuke gone completely berserk?

"Sasuke!" he shouted desperately, trying to twist around in midair but only succeeding in feeling even more light-headed than before. He heard a cold, insane laugh somewhere below and grimaced. Seriously, Sasuke should get a grip on himself. This wasn't a laughing matter.

"Sasuke!" he shouted again, determined to locate and perhaps save him if he had enough chakra remaining in his system. Or he would die trying. He attempted to turn his body around again, and caught sight of a dark shape in his peripheral vision. He struggled to place his shaking hands together.

"Save your breath…Naruto." Sasuke spoke in a detached, distant voice, sounding abnormally calm after his maniacal laughing episode.

"No," Naruto said flatly, trying to concentrate his chakra to produce a single kage bunshin. If only he could just create _one_, it could catch Sasuke, and…

"You were right."

Naruto instantly lost his concentration. And his temper. "Sasuke-teme…!" he yelled furiously. Curse the Uchiha for saying something like _that _at a moment like this! When did he ever admit that Naruto was right, huh? He was such a – _Naruto, focus…_ He forced his hands to form the clone seal a second time, even though the wind generated from freefalling prevented him from being able to move a few inches at a time. "Shadow clone jut –"

"We're both going to die."

"Dammit, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled in frustration. This wasn't time for games! Why did he always lose to him, even at a time like this, when he couldn't afford to? When they _both_ knew he couldn't afford to?

_Because you're a loser…_

He was startled when a pair of dull, crimson eyes, level to his own, materialized out of the swirling mist. He had thought Sasuke was below him, but it seemed as though they were falling at the same rate, at the same ever-decreasing altitude…

Naruto shook his head, trying to clear the dizziness. He stared back into Sasuke's eyes, defiant.

"You told me…if we met in battle again…we would both die," Sasuke said at last, breaking the silence. He pointed below where the ground was gradually getting closer. With a jolt, Naruto realized that he had deactivated his Sharingan. His eyes were like coal – dark, empty, expressionless. That last clash had left them both drained, and Sasuke was losing blood at an alarming rate. If he was unable to keep up his dojutsu…?! As they spiralled lower and lower, Naruto tried to repress a crushing wave of despair and a sudden urge to vomit. Sasuke was right.

"Not…if I can help it!" Naruto gasped, gritting his teeth. He tried to summon a final burst of energy, determined not to die, not like this. No luck. He had exhausted his own chakra supply. He couldn't sense the Kyuubi's presence anywhere, so he wouldn't be able to resort to the fox's power, even if he wanted. And at this moment, he did want to. Real fear clouded his mind. He had never been so powerless, so utterly on his own until this moment. He didn't suppose Sasuke would lend him some chakra, even if he could.

"It's no use," Sasuke said brusquely.

"Shut up, Sasuke!" Naruto snapped automatically.

Sasuke's lips curved into a humourless smile. "I know what I'm taking about."

He gestured ostentatiously to the gaping wound in his chest. Naruto balled up his fists, his anger flaring. "You're _not _going to die," he promised.

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Argh!" he forced his fingers into manipulating the clone seal and closed his eyes, trying to ignore Sasuke's words. _Concentrate…_

He felt the last of his energy leave his limbs…but still no shadow clone…he was having trouble concentrating, and he was slowly…losing…consciousness…

-:-

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"H-hai…?"

He opened one eye warily. It made no difference. Wherever he was, he was either blind or it was very, very dark. He opened his other eye as well, and peered at his surroundings, hoping to see something, _anything,_ to confirm that he still had his vision. He started as he spotted a pair of luminous eyes watching him. Though Naruto could not see anything else, not the facial features nor the body of the person, he had no doubts about who it was. One Rinnegan. One Sharingan.

"Uchiha Obito," he snarled, all rationality wiped clean from his mind. _Kage bunshin no jutsu. Rasengan! _He didn't stop to think about how his chakra had been able to replenish in such a short amount of time, only concentrating on smashing the blue orb of energy into the stupid man's face. The heterochromic-like eyes blinked once in mild amusement. Naruto heard the soft whoosh of a pair of hands performing seals in rapid-fire succession. His Rasengan halted, hovering a few inches in front of Obito's face. He growled in frustration as the glowing chakra faded from his palm, tingling uncomfortably. The jutsu subsided and Naruto lurched forwards, managing to poke the man in the eye. Obito didn't react, so he supposed it was a genjutsu version, or perhaps, kawarimi no jutsu. Naruto withdrew warily, somewhat miffed at his failure.

"Now, now, no need to be so hasty," Obito clicked his tongue disapprovingly. He raised his left hand and invisible ropes wrapped themselves securely around Naruto's torso. Naruto toppled over and crashed headfirst into the wall.

"Hey!" he cried, struggling to pull free, to no avail.

"Calm down, Naruto," Obito commanded, "I just want to talk."

"Talk?!" Naruto spat incredulously, "And why should I trust you? You've tied me to the wall. I can't see anything because it's pitch black in here. And you expect me to believe you – ow!"

Light suddenly flooded the room. He closed his eyes, cursing the inability to shield them with his arms as the ropes snaked around his entire body. "What was that for?"

"You were the one complaining about the darkness," Obito said crossly, "Now will you listen?"

Naruto looked at the scarred face in disgust. This man…the one who started the war…the one who had gotten so many of his comrades killed. And now Naruto was powerless against him, yet it made no sense. Why didn't he just kill him now? Obito must be mocking him, trying to break him. A last bit of sadistic, symbolic fun. He gulped. Just thinking about it scared him.

"Okay. What did you want to talk to me about?" Naruto asked dully.

"This war," he said seriously, "Naruto…do you know how long you've been in the Kamui dimension? It's been three months since the end of the Fourth Shinobi War."

"I don't, wait…_what?!_"

"Three months," Obito repeated, his face taking on a strange look, almost…_pity?_ Naruto gagged discreetly.

"Then I've been…unconscious for three months," Naruto muttered. No way! That guy was definitely lying.

"I don't care if you don't believe me," said Obito, turning away to inspect the wall. "I'm not here to waste your time. I'm here to make you an offer."

Naruto laughed bitterly. "You're already wasting my time even bothering to talk to me. I'm not foolish enough to fall for your lies, so consider your offer rejected. Don't even try."

Obito spun around slowly, his strange eyes fixed unsettlingly on Naruto's face. "If you don't hear me out, you'll regret it."

"And if I do, I'll regret it even more," he retorted.

The Uchiha's grin was disconcerting. Naruto decided that he was most likely utterly insane. Seeing as he was bound by ropes, he probably didn't stand a chance against preventing him from talking. He was right.

"We have won," Obito said in a strangely tight voice, "We have won, but Madara is dead."

_He was already dead in the first place!_ Naruto wanted to scream, but he kept silent, allowing his rage to simmer. But he couldn't help it. He needed to know one thing. "And the Allied Shinobi Forces? The casualties?"

"You don't want to know," the other said matter-of-factly. "The point is, your dream of peace…my dream of peace. None of them will ever become reality in this rotten shinobi world. You will live the rest of your life in pain and misery, knowing that you failed the ones most precious to you. You will spend the rest of your days with regret as your sole companion. You –"

"Aaah! Shut up! Shut _up!_" Naruto's face contorted and he fought to keep his rage under control.

Obito smiled. "You can even become Hokage, Naruto. The Hokage of a deserted village, the village that used to be Konohagakure."

Naruto's breath caught in his throat. Was it true? Was everyone killed the past three months? No! Naruto had to concentrate, it hadn't been three months. It was only a few hours ago that he and Sasuke had had their battle, the battle that left his friend and rival severely injured. And the last time he had seen him, he was on the brink of death…

"Where's Sasuke?" he asked quietly, dreading the answer.

Obito's smile widened. "Unlike the rest of your comrades, he is still alive. He's resting right now in another section of the Kamui. Like you, he was unconscious throughout the final stages of the war. How fortunate the both of you were."

Despite himself, Naruto felt a twinge of bittersweet relief. So his efforts had not been in vain. Sasuke wasn't dead, and he could still bring him to Konoha! A small, traitorous part of him whispered, _what good would it be to bring Sasuke back to Konoha if Konoha is gone?_

"Argh!" Naruto bellowed in frustration. He couldn't let Obito get to him. But the small part of him persisted. _What if everything he said was true? _

Naruto struggled with himself for a moment, torn. He was going to punch himself when Obito untied him.

"What's your offer?" he asked, sighing in defeat.

Obito's grin became impossibly wide. "You won't regret it."

"I already do…" Naruto muttered under his breath.


	2. Temptation

What was he thinking, agreeing to listen to Obito's offer? It was obviously a trap.

"There's only one way to fix everything," Obito was saying, "And that is, to change the past."

Naruto yawned.

Obito glared pointedly at his captive. Somehow, the kid never failed to amaze him with evidence of how dense he was. And yet…Uzumaki Naruto was his only hope to ensure world peace. Obito had to be stupid enough to destroy the world once over to be able to realize it, but all the same…

He had to rely on Naruto.

"My Kamui is a space-time jutsu," he said, trying to explain as patiently as he could, "where space and time is one. But it's the concept of time that matters most. If I can manipulate time, and time alone –"

"Which you can't," Naruto interrupted.

Obito glared down at him, who glared back.

"Who says I can't?" it would take too much explaining to do if he had to describe his jutsu in precise detail to the foolish jinchuuriki.

"Because you're trying to trick me," Naruto declared.

Obito groaned in exasperation. The kid would never understand, and he didn't want to waste his breath trying to convince him that he wasn't _that _bad of a villain. Okay, maybe he did ally himself with Madara and started the Fourth Shinobi World War which caused the destruction of the hidden villages and all the inhabitants…a grim smile crossed his face. This kind of peace came at much too great of a cost. Besides, with Madara dead, his original plan, the world he wanted to build would take far too much effort with little success. A Sharingan illusion world for three – it was pointless. Absolutely pointless.

"I knew it!" cried Naruto triumphantly, evidently misreading Obito's smile as some sort of a conspiratorial slip-up.

Yep, Naruto would never understand. Obito would stick to acting the same villain he was before for now. Maybe one day, Naruto would understand that fixing the world meant more to him than destroying it. Maybe one day, he would realize that they shared the same, desperate dream. And now, in the current state of the world, they had both lost everything. Their dreams would never come true.

"I'm not tricking you. I'm blackmailing you," Obito replied after a long pause. Before Naruto could protest, he went on quickly. "Let's say I can. I can bring you back to the past."

"At what cost?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. Obito could tell that he did not believe him. The kid was merely playing along.

"Ah, but that's the point," he continued, "This is a forbidden jutsu after all, for good reason. Like Edo Tensei, the cost is human sacrifice. But alas, this one takes the lives of tens of thousands of innocent people. You could spare that many, can't you, Naruto?" he added sadistically. Maybe he was laying it on too thick. In any case, Naruto's face flushed in fury.

"What do you understand about –" Naruto shouted, struggling against the ropes that bound him. Obito held out one hand to silence him. By the murderous look in his eyes, Obito could tell that he wanted nothing more than to slit his throat.

"Reversing time is a very difficult, very costly venture. You should be grateful that this war had killed more than enough shinobi to satisfy the price," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "If you do manage to fix the mistakes of the past, perhaps, they would have never died in the first place."

Obito closed his eyes, praying that Naruto would take the bait. He would think it was a trap, which was fair enough, but he would do it anyways. He was noble that way, so very unlike himself.

"So you want me to go back in time and kill you?"

Obito blinked. He did not expect that kind of an answer. Well, he was playing the villain after all, so he should have anticipated such a response…

"I'm merely stating that there are things you can change, which will eventually lead up to or prevent the war," he said evenly. _Just take the bait you idiot! It will benefit us all, trust me! Please, Naruto…_

"No." Naruto's voice was angry. "This is just like the Limited Tsukuyomi again, that stupid genjutsu world, isn't it? You're just trying to send me into an alternate reality. But in reality, I would never truly change my life, my past, my destiny!" Obito was shocked to see tears streaming down his cheeks. Was this really the same Naruto?

"You sound like that Hyuuga kid," Obito mused. He knew he was treading in dangerous waters. Naruto could snap at any time…or this would knock some sense into his head. He hoped it was the latter.

To his surprise, Naruto was silent. Obito decided to push his luck one step further. "That's right. You could save him. He didn't have to die, he didn't _deserve_ to die. You have nothing to lose. Even if I did cast you into an illusionary world, what harm could it do?"

Naruto was still silent, his head bowed. Obito hoped he was contemplating his words, and that he had not fallen asleep.

"Naruto," Obito said, his voice insistent. "You do know that everyone is dead. Kakashi included." He tried to keep the pain out of his voice, but was unsure if he succeeded, because at that moment, Naruto looked up. His eyes were red and puffy, but he looked oddly alert and curious. But his eyes were also filled with pain and despair, because at that moment, Naruto knew that Obito was telling the truth all along.

"You're lying," said Naruto, his voice cracking.

"You're lying," Obito replied lightly, "to yourself."

Naruto leaned back and closed his eyes. Obito decided to give him some time and space to think. Eventually, his eyes reopened, but they looked more defeated than hopeful.

"This jutsu of yours," Naruto said at last, "how does it work?"

He mentally sighed in relief. "The casualties of the war will supply the human sacrifices. Hopefully, you'll be able to change the past and prevent this war altogether, so it wouldn't be so immoral to use them."

Naruto nearly choked. "When did you start caring about morals? You killed everyone without batting an eyelid, so what the heck are you talking about?"

He killed them because he was on Madara's side of the war. And also because he believed Naruto would be able to make things right once he sent him back to change the past. It was for a good cause, he had argued to himself. If Naruto succeeded, their deaths would never have happened. And if he failed, then Obito would content himself with being the destroyer of the shinobi world, and live with the regret he deserved. All things considered, it was a terrible argument. He still hadn't completely convinced himself that it had been the right thing to do, except for the fact that it was the only thing he could do. How else was he going to bring peace to this hell of a world? He had already done enough damage even without starting the war. And perhaps, a small part of him hoped, that Naruto, who was so like him, could change the rest of his past. Like saving that Hyuuga boy for example. If anyone deserved to change their fate, it was Naruto. Because he would help so many others along the way.

"It doesn't matter, it's all the same to me," Obito said quietly. "Will you do it?"

Naruto's eyes flashed. "I have no choice! Not after everything you said…" his voice shook uncontrollably. That idiot Uchiha…meddling with his emotions! He was trying to break him. That much he was certain.

"You do have a choice," Obito corrected. "I won't force you. It would be better if you decided to do it out of your own free will."

"That's not the point! How can I choose _not _to after you tell me that everyone I cared about is dead?! You were right, this _is _blackmail. Yes, I do choose to do it out of my own free will." Naruto spat derisively. "Now tell me what to do."

"You don't need to do anything but listen," Obito reassured, causing Naruto to issue a stream of curses that he couldn't quite distinguish.

"Remember, it's not the same as time travel. You're not going back in time, but instead we're reversing time."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Naruto muttered in annoyance.

"No. Because I'm not sending you back, rather, the present is going to be rendered nonexistent. In other words, everything that happened before never did." Obito explained.

"I still don't get it."

Obito shrugged. "It doesn't matter. But the main problem that could arise is the fact that history will repeat itself. Again. Because the past cannot be changed if you're merely going to replay your life over again."

Naruto coughed. His brain hurt from trying to understand the strange logic Obito was trying to describe to him. Apparently he'd been asleep for three months already, but he wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep.

"There is one thing you need to change right now, and not until you go back to the past, or nothing will change. Everything will be exactly the same as before if you don't, do you understand?"

Naruto was confused, but he nodded anyways. Obito smiled wryly. "Choose something, Naruto."

He thought for a moment, realization suddenly dawning on him. Did that mean…?

_He could live his life again without the burden of the Kyuubi inside him._

_His parents didn't have to die._

_The Uchiha Massacre could have never happened._

_Sasuke could have never left._

_No one had to die._

_He could save them all._

But which one? He could only choose one.

"Naruto." Obito's voice was surprisingly gentle, and snapped him back to reality. "Remember, you _won't_ be able to change the past that you weren't involved in personally. There's only so much you can do."

_So much for that idea,_ Naruto though bitterly.

"You need to choose something materialistic. The smaller, the more trivial the change, the more you'll be able to do. And think about it," he said, as if he could read Naruto's mind. "If the Kyuubi were never sealed inside you, someone else would have to suffer. If your parents were alive, Konoha would have been destroyed. Some things are better to be left alone. Naruto, I wanted you to make the connection on your own. But unfortunately, we have little time. You need to choose a small, insignificant detail that will link you back to your original memories. Because if you start your life over again without knowing why you were there and what you were going to do, then everything will stay the same. The Fourth Shinobi World War would still occur, and everything that happened will still happen."

He was giving Naruto a massive headache. And Naruto couldn't even rub his aching temple. If he just changed something small, he would retain his memories, huh? The man wasn't making any sense.

"My hair colour," Naruto said suddenly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"My hair colour," he repeated. "I want to change my hair colour." But he was rather attached to his extraordinary shade of yellow hair. It was one of the few things unique about him that wasn't given to him by the Kyuubi. It was given to him by his father.

"But…not my natural hair. I- I don't want to lose _that_. I only want it to be dyed a different colour, that's all," he looked at Obito expectantly. "That's materialistic enough, isn't it? Now what do I do? Can I go now?"

Obito looked as if he were trying not to smile. "On one condition."

"What is it?"

"I've already talked with Sasuke, and explained the situation to him. He took it better than you did, seeing as he never went to the genjutsu world before. But I digress. I told Sasuke a slightly different version of the offer that I gave you."

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly. "And which one's the truth?"

Obito ignored his question and continued. "I told him that whoever was to go back would be given one wish to change the past. In other words, he thinks that this wish will be the key to our salvation. Do not tell him that you _had _to choose something as useless as a hair dye. Make him believe that it was what you wanted."

"Um, okay."

"Thank you. By the way, Sasuke agrees with me that you should be the one to shoulder this burden and fix our mistakes."

Naruto stopped in his tracks. "But why?" he protested, feeling absurdly like a little kid.

"Because you're the only blameless one left."

It was not Obito who spoke. Naruto's stomach twisted uncomfortably when he heard his voice. "Who said that?" he asked anyways, even though he knew the answer.

"The only other living person in the world, other than you two," Sasuke replied coldly. "Don't make me regret letting you have that power, Naruto."

Shoot. Did Obito want Sasuke to kill him? Naruto struggled violently against the ropes, dreading the moment when Sasuke would ask him what "wish" he decided to make. He could just imagine what Sasuke would do to him if he told him that he wanted hair dye as opposed to saving the Uchiha clan.

As if on cue, Obito snapped his fingers and the ropes fell away. Naruto stood up instantly, avoiding both of the Uchihas' gazes. _Kuso!_ What should he do?

"Hey, Naruto."

He gulped. He couldn't evade this any longer. He sighed and looked straight into Sasuke's piercing gaze. "What is it, Sasuke?"

"Um, well…" Sasuke looked away, his eyebrow twitching slightly. Naruto could swear that he was trying not blush. "When you, er…go back to the past…"

_Oh no…_

"Could you try and help me so that I don't meet Karin…?"

The answer was so unexpected, Naruto started laughing. Sasuke glared at him heatedly. "It's not funny!"

Naruto's smile faded. "I'll try my best," he said seriously, holding out his fist. After a pause, Sasuke's glare faded somewhat and he bumped Naruto's fist with his own.

"What did you wish for?" Sasuke asked, his voice holding a trace of curiosity.

_Damn_… "I, um…" Naruto looked away. This was going to be awkward. "I'm changing my hair colour."

"You were given that power to fix the course of history and you change your HAIR COLOUR?! Dobe."

Naruto flushed. One look from Obito told him that he mustn't give it away, even if Sasuke did decide to rip his throat out. "Geez, calm down, it's just hair dye. I wished for hair dye, okay?"

Sasuke was speechless for a moment, spluttering incoherently. When he was finally able to articulate intelligible words, he yelled, "NO IT'S NOT OKAY YOU BAKA."

Naruto backed away, and Obito tried to hide his smile. This was exactly what he wanted – for Sasuke and Naruto to reconcile with each other in that unique way of theirs. So even if Naruto failed, at least he succeeded the tiniest bit in life. Naruto seemed to realize it as well, because he started grinning.

"Don't worry, Sasuke-teme. I won't let you down, just you watch!" He pumped his fist into the air and plastered a huge, silly grin on his face.

Obito knew it was time. "Good luck," he whispered quietly, before raising his hands and forming a series of complicated hand seals.

"Jigyaku no Jutsu*!" he said, before crumpling to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

*literally means time reversal technique, which was used in the actual Naruto anime, but has a different effect. However, the name fits very well with what I planned for, so I'm sticking to it.


	3. Enter: Uzumaki Naruto!

Seven-year-old Uzumaki Naruto rolled out of bed and crashed headfirst into the ground. He gave a yelp of pain and surprise and rubbed his aching head, gazing attentively at the sunlight streaming in through his windows. Rubbing his eyes, he proceeded to push himself forcefully off the cold floor and went to make breakfast.

"Ramen!" he shouted gleefully, whipping out a pair of chopsticks and a cup of his favourite noodles. As he ate, he dressed in his usual orange attire and grabbed a pair of goggles. Satisfied, he walked to the dresser and pulled out his bottle of blue dye and began to apply in it copious amounts on his spiky hair. His head suddenly felt like it was on fire and he let out a choked cry of shock. Naruto glared balefully at his hair dye and flung it back into the drawer. Since when did this dye burn his scalp? Feeling resentful, he adjusted his goggles more securely on his head and walked out of the apartment. He then locked the door and began to walk slowly to the Academy, dragging his feet behind him.

He had a massive headache all through class, causing Iruka-sensei to yell at him on more than one occasion.

"Naruto! Pay attention!" he barked, exasperated. Naruto was lying facedown, clutching at his head in what Iruka considered as an overly theatrical performance. Like always.

"But, sensei," Naruto protested, opening one bright blue eye to glare at him before flattening his face against the desk again. "My head hurts!"

Iruka's patience was wearing thin. "Oh yeah? Stop making excuses, or I'll send you to the Hokage's office!"

Naruto grumbled unintelligibly about going to the Hokage's office once he became Hokage himself and Iruka flushed in anger.

The rest of the students tittered nervously. Some looked apprehensive. Others looked downright excited at the prospect of an angry outburst from their sensei. But Iruka merely took a deep breath and continued on with the lesson. The only sign that indicated his displeasure was the occasional eye twitch.

The day dragged on mercilessly. Once Naruto was dismissed, he ran out the door and stumbled all the way to the playground. When he arrived, most of the kids shied away from him and he found himself sitting alone on the swings. He sighed, appreciating for once that everyone in Konoha seemed to hate him. He could get some peace and quiet and nurse the headache which was really starting to bother him. As the sun began to set, and the pain in his head seemed as though it would never subside, he got up from the swing and left the playground. He walked slowly, stopping every once in a while, gritting his teeth as his head throbbed mercilessly. His eyes flickered from the rows of buildings to the sparkling lake on the other side of the road. And sitting by the lakeside, watching the reflection of the sunset on the water was Uchiha Sasuke, the top student in the Academy of his year. Naruto gazed enviously at the back of Sasuke's head, his eyes grew unfocused. The pain in his head grew worse, and he collapsed to the ground with a long, drawn-out scream.

_I knew that you were always alone. _

_When I saw you, I felt relieved that there was someone else like me. _

_Whenever I saw you, I actually wanted to go down and talk to you._

_I was happy, that maybe you'd be able to understand me._

Naruto sat up abruptly, his head spinning dizzyingly. He glanced around and rubbed his aching head. So this was the time and place Obito sent him, huh? It seemed as though the Uchiha hadn't chosen it, however. Naruto himself had subconsciously decided that this was the event that needed to be fixed, and somehow, the…time jutsu had complied.

_I suffer because of the bonds I once had!_

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispered. "Our bond wasn't strong enough…to save you. It's those early bonds that mattered the most to you, if only I could have realized…"

…_I actually wanted to go down and talk to you._

Naruto smiled, and began to descend the steep hills towards where Sasuke sat, alone. Part of him protested._ He should make Sasuke his rival, not a friend!_ But he ignored that small part of him easily, and continued on his way.

"Yo," Naruto mumbled, wishing that he didn't have to do this, but feeling as though he had no choice.

"Hn."

Naruto nearly fell into the lake when Sasuke turned around and was _smiling. _Sasuke never smiled, at least, not the happy, carefree smile that was on his face right now.

"Hello, Sasuke…" Naruto said, sweating nervously.

Sasuke tilted his head in acknowledgement. His dark eyes were wide and inquisitively, so unlike the Sasuke he knew. "Hello Naruto."

Naruto was in danger of fainting. He couldn't believe Sasuke was acting so, well…polite. They had been rivals for so long that he didn't think they were capable of acting civilized around each other. Then again…he realized that they weren't rivals yet, not at this moment in time. With a jolt, Naruto understood why there wasn't the ever-present bitter, angry light in Sasuke's eyes. The Uchiha Massacre probably hadn't happened yet either, he guessed.

"Was that you screaming?" Sasuke asked, the smile fading ever so slightly.

"What? Oh, uh…yeah," Naruto admitted. He sat down beside Sasuke and watched the lake. His own reflection gazed back at him, bright blue eyes and bright…blue…hair…?!

Naruto fell into the lake.

-:-

He opened his eyes groggily and spewed out a mouthful of lake water from his nose.

"Gah!" he choked. His eyes were streaming and he rubbed his face. His hands, when he inspected them, were stained blue. Then he remembered about the dye he applied to his hair in the morning and laughed. So it was the dye that helped him remember what he was here for? Naruto made a mental note to thank Obito when they meet again, in the future. Then he laughed again, because the idea was so absurd.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke's concerned voice jarred him back to the present…or the past, whatever _now _was.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks!" Naruto beamed when he saw that Sasuke was soaked to the skin. Did _Sasuke _really pull him out of the lake? He felt the sudden urge to laugh again. His life was going to be very different this time and from now on.

* * *

A/N: Alas, this chapter was shorter than I originally planned, but I didn't want to write too much about young Naruto, because that would bore me to death. And Sasuke is quite OOC, but then again, due to the circumstance, I hope the changes are a tad believable. With any luck, these changes Naruto make to their initial relationship hopefully will make future OOCness more realistic.  
Thanks so much for all you wonderful readers! It really means a lot to me, I'm over the moon right now because this story has so many reads when it's only at the beginning stages if its life.  
Special thanks to **princessbina **for reviewing! I can assure you there will be no same-sex romantic relationships, partially because I don't support SasuNaru and the likes, and mostly because it would be extremely awkward to write.


	4. Bonds

Again, thank you so much for all the reads, faves, follows, and reviews! It really means a lot!  
If you have any concerns or suggestions, feel free to voice your opinion, I would appreciate it very much. And reviews would be fantastic. Enjoy!

* * *

Naruto glared at his palm in frustration, making his signature growling noise in the back of his throat. Despite his dogged determination, he simply could _not _remember how to perform the Rasengan. He crumpled to the ground and buried his face into the cool grass, wishing he could disappear. This "fixing history" nonsense was so much harder than he expected. How was he going to be able to do anything useful when he couldn't _do_ anything? It was going to take a lot of time to get used to, that was for sure. And heck, he wasn't even a genin yet. Naruto frowned, scratching his nose in confusion by how _natural _everything seemed. Well, other than the strange memories, he still felt like he was any other eight year old. In fact, it seemed no different than when he had been eight years old the first time, except he didn't feel like this was the second time. He rubbed his nose again. He was confusing himself. This was probably what Obito meant by reversing time rather than travelling through time. In a way, his past life didn't exist anymore. How troublesome. He sighed again. He was beginning to sound like Shikamaru.

He stood up, dusting himself off. If he was going to change anything, he had to train harder. He had tried to produce a shadow clone multiple times already, to no avail. It seemed as though he had to relearn _everything. _Just his luck. Naruto picked up the water balloon, smiling to himself. Even if he wasn't able to do anything powerful, or remember how to perform any of his…what were they called again? Jutsu, right? Even if he had to start from scratch, he had done something. He had altered his antagonistic relation with Sasuke.

They had formed their bond early on this time, on that day Naruto's past life and self had wished he had gone down to talk to Sasuke. They weren't exactly close friends, as there would always be some sort of an animosity between them. But it was a start. Sasuke had wanted to break those bonds last time because the one with Naruto wasn't strong enough to overcome his hatred. The ones with his family, the ties he had for _years _were the ones that mattered to him the most. That was why he had felt no remorse in leaving. Because the bonds with Naruto had been worthless to him…they had been too shallow. This time, Naruto hoped, that an early start in friendship and teamwork would cause everything to change. Hey, Sasuke even got him an eighth birthday present, much to his astonishment. It was just a kunai and everything, but it was a start. The old Sasuke would never dream of getting Naruto a gift, even when his mind hadn't been twisted and corrupted by evil. He didn't even know when his birthday was, Naruto was sure. He grinned from ear to ear.

"Dobe, what the heck are you doing?"

Naruto looked up, the huge grin still plastered on his face. Sasuke stood in front of him, his arms folded across his chest. Naruto's grin grew impossibly wide, and Sasuke shot him a good-natured glare.

"I'm training," he explained, holding out the water balloon reverently. Sasuke eyed it in disgust and harrumphed. Yep, they were getting along just fine.

"You should train…properly."

Sasuke pulled out a shuriken from his pouch and in one swift motion, flung it at Naruto's outstretched hand. The water balloon popped instantly, dousing Naruto from head to toe with water.

"Sasuke-teme, that water was from the lake!" he yelled furiously. He shook the water from his hair and coughed violently.

Sasuke grinned, tilting his head to one side. "That's the point. You fight better when you're enraged." With that, he drew out another shuriken and tossed it lazily in Naruto's direction.

"Besides, where did your hair dye go?" Sasuke teased.

Naruto didn't want to answer that. Apparently, he had been obsessed with dyeing his hair blue for a long time now. It wasn't even his own doing, not exactly, but it was thoroughly embarrassing. He had continued to use the hair dye once in a while, worrying that his connections to his old life would disappear once he stopped dyeing his hair. But it had been months already, and he still hadn't forgotten that he was Uzumaki Naruto, and he had a job to do. Though what good would it do if his skill was at the level of what it had been when he was eight? There was a reason why Sasuke always called him dobe. How much he wished he had worked harder in his earlier life! It would have saved him a lot of trouble.

Naruto had to admit, with Sasuke as a training partner, he was improving at a rapid rate. He had surpassed his earlier life's skills in taijutsu at this age thanks to Sasuke constantly chucking weapons at him. But Naruto was nowhere close to the level he knew he could do. Rasengan, shadow clones, even a basic body replacement jutsu…they were all beyond his reach. He had to work for it. Again. Gritting his teeth, he dodged the flying shuriken and cursed his inability to control his chakra. When was Iruka-sensei going to teach it? He was desperately trying to remember, after all, it was supposed to be the most basic technique. He vaguely remembered that he hadn't begun to really learn how to master his chakra until he was put on his genin team with Sasuke and Sakura-chan. But the actual details of how it was done kept eluding his mind.

They sparred all afternoon, hurling insults at one another and laughing hysterically when the other was knocked down. Naruto wondered how he was able to get through his previous life without any friends. He wondered even more so why he had not gone to talk to Sasuke, even though he had known that he would be the only one who would understand.

"I…have to…go," Sasuke panted at last, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion. "My mom…will be worried."

Naruto blinked in surprise, then remembered that Itachi hadn't killed off the Uchiha clan yet. He vaguely wondered if Sasuke would change into his original moody and revenge-driven self after it happened. He made a mental note to try and figure out a way to prevent the massacre if he could. Maybe, without any jutsu or skill, he could single-handedly save Sasuke's clan! Naruto sighed, knowing that his imagination was running away from him. He knew he wouldn't be able to do anything, but still…he had to try.

"Sayonara, Sasuke…teme," Naruto said, grinning cockily. Sasuke smirked, getting up and wiping the sweat off his brow.

"Later, Naruto."

-:-

"Nii-san, could you help me with shuriken training?"

"Sorry, Sasuke. Ask Father. I'm busy."

Sasuke sighed. He knew this would happen. Fine then. He would train with Naruto, who was remarkably useful for target practise.

Itachi motioned to Sasuke to come to him, who approached warily.

"You're going to…"

Itachi poked Sasuke on the forehead.

"…Poke me on the forehead," Sasuke finished, grumbling.

Itachi smiled faintly. Sasuke left the house, still muttering under his breath.

-:-

Sasuke waved half-heartedly to the hyperactive blond ninja in the distance, smirking when he tripped and landed in the middle of the street. It amazed him that Naruto could dodge moving objects with ease, yet always seemed to trip over nothing more than his own two feet. Chuckling to himself, he headed towards the Uchiha compound and tucked his shuriken inside his bag.

The sky was darkening rapidly. Sasuke began to jog at a steady pace, sweat beading on his forehead. As he entered the familiar streets near his neighbourhood, his eyes flickered upwards unconsciously. He sensed an ominous presence, but as he peered more closely at his surroundings, the streets seemed to be empty.

_That's strange. I swear I saw someone there…_

He stood there, stoic and motionless for a heartbeat. Then he inspected the buildings around him more carefully. Something was wrong.

_It's much too early…but the lights are all out._

Sasuke began to run in the direction of his house, his heart beating erratically. What the –?

His neighbourhood was completely deserted.

His gaze flitted from the kunai littering the roads to the pools of fresh blood glinting menacingly in the moonlight. Sasuke didn't immediately register what had happened. He just stared in horror at the damage, the weapons, the destroyed buildings, Uruchi oba-san's lantern which had a large gash across the Uchiha clan symbol. His wide, terrified eyes fell upon the pools of blood again. And then he saw the people for the first time. Unmoving, lifeless, kunai-pierced corpses lay scattered throughout the blood-spattered street.

"What is this…? What's going on?" he uttered, his voice trembling. He was horrified at the scene before him, dazed by how unreal it all seemed. So very unreal.

Then he ran, intent on getting to his house, curling up in his bed to rid his mind of this nightmare. With that thought in mind, Sasuke flew through the streets full of dead bodies, wanting nothing more than to throw up. He made the mistake of glancing at one of the corpses in his way in his haste. He backed away in horror and panic.

"Oba-san…" he squeaked, hardly daring to believe his eyes.

_Mother…Father…!_

-:-

"Nii-san…" Sasuke's voice broke and he fell to his knees, unable to support himself. "H-how could you? Why…? Why did you kill them?"

"Foolish little brother…" Itachi stared at him, his eyes distant and unusually cold. Sasuke obscured his face with his hands, his body wracked with shuddering sobs. He heard an intake of breath and he lifted his tearstained face to Itachi. His brother stood there, impassive, expressionless.

"Mangekyou Sharing –"

Sasuke rose to his feet and fled.

-:-

"If you wish to kill me…hate me…detest me, and survive in an unsightly way. Run. Run and cling to life –"

"Why…?" Sasuke's eyes were haunted, filled with pain and disbelief. "I loved you…I wanted to be just like you…as strong as you…!"

A conflicting look crossed Itachi's face, but it was gone as soon as it had appeared.

"Nii-san…" Sasuke mumbled, before fleeing into the night, tears streaming in his wake. There was no one he could go to…nowhere he could go…his parents…his family…his clan…all gone…

He clenched his fists, and sprinted off to find Naruto.

-:-

"T-that was what happened…" Sasuke finished unsteadily, tears beginning to find their way into his eyes again. He wiped them away angrily. Naruto didn't need to see him like this; he'd only laugh at him for being weak.

To his astonishment, Naruto looked deadly serious. Sasuke was probably imagining it, but he saw a trace of guilt in the deep, solemn blue.

"Sasuke," Naruto said, his voice low and strained. "That's all you said to Itachi? And is that all he said to you?"

He nodded mutely, fearing that his voice would break.

"You're absolutely _sure_?" Naruto persisted. Sasuke didn't understand why he was so intent on making sure he was positive that he was repeating the way Itachi phrased his words exactly. He nodded again anyways.

"My memory isn't that terrible, dobe," said Sasuke, trying to wipe his eyes discreetly. Naruto cracked a smile.

"Whatever you say, teme."

Sasuke felt the ghost of a smile rise to his lips.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably, peering at Sasuke then looking down at his hands again. "Sasuke…?"

"Hn…?"

Naruto looked away, biting his lip. "So…um, are you going to…you know, get your revenge on him?"

Sasuke looked surprise. "What makes you say that?"

He seemed like he was about to reply, but he shook his head almost imperceptibly, as if he were undergoing some sort of internal conflict. "I just, well…um, will you?"

"Of course not!" Sasuke exclaimed, his face animated. "It's what my brother wants. I won't give him the satisfaction of knowing that I will play directly into his hands. I'm not a fool, dobe. I'm going to train. I'm going to be stronger and make my parents proud!"

Naruto looked so relieved, he seemed like he was about to fall over.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked uncertainly, wondering if he should get some ice water.

"I'm…fine," Naruto assured him, rubbing his nose. "I'm hungry, do you want some ramen?"

"At midnight, dobe?!"

"Yeah!"


	5. Reiteration, Or Not

Naruto slurped down his sixth, very generous helping of ramen and patted his bulging stomach in satisfaction. He let out a long, complacent sigh and let his chopsticks clatter to the table. Tomorrow would be the graduation exam, and he would not let Iruka-sensei down this time. He glared miserably out the window, wanting nothing more than to be painting graffiti on the Hokage monument. But it was important that he passed. Besides, he required food to build up his strength. He didn't need Iruka to save him from that idiot Mizuki, because he already knew his sensei cared about him. However, there was the question of the Shadow Clone Jutsu that he still hadn't mastered. He'd need to peek at the Scroll of Seals to be able to learn that. Maybe he should just play along, and fail the exams…

Lost in thought, Naruto cleaned up the table and tossed the empty ramen cups into the garbage can. Maybe he still should go and vandalize the Hokage's faces, just so Iruka would buy him ramen. He glanced guiltily out the window. He probably wouldn't be able to bring himself to draw all over his father's face. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw that someone was hanging upside down on the frame of his open window.

"Sasuke-teme!" he bellowed, glaring at the Uchiha in the window. "What are you doing-ttebayo…?!"

"Hey dobe," Sasuke said calmly, flipping over and landing carefully on the windowsill. "It's the graduation examination tomorrow, don't you think you ought to work on your weak points instead of pigging out on ramen?"

"Psh, I'll do fine," Naruto waved his arm dismissively. He could do bunshin no jutsu, no problem. It _was _what the exam was testing on after all, not that he could tell Sasuke that.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "And if we're tested on henge no jutsu…?"

Naruto gulped. Well, the only reason why Iruka-sensei did a reassessment of that jutsu last time was because of the graffiti and his bottom-of-the-class marks. He was almost certain he was doing far better than Shikamaru, unless the genius had changed his lazy ways. But what if Iruka changed the exam…? Was that even possible?

"It doesn't matter," Naruto lied, sweatdropping slightly. "I'll still do well."

Sasuke smirked. "Whatever you say, dobe."

-:-

"When you're called to come to the next room, to graduate, you'll have to perform both the bunshin no jutsu and henge no jutsu," Iruka explained, holding a stack of papers in his hand. Mizuki, who stood beside him, nodded in agreement, looking strangely pleased with himself. Naruto glared at the traitor out of the corner of his eye. Somehow, instincts told him that Mizuki had planned it all. As an Academy instructor, he would have access to information on all the students' skills and limitations. Since Naruto had improved drastically on the Clone Jutsu, he was almost guaranteed to pass if it had been the only technique they were being tested on.

As if to confirm Naruto's suspicions, Iruka rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and said, "Mizuki-sensei pointed out that we haven't analyzed the class's abilities to do the Transformation Jutsu recently, and this examination is a perfect opportunity to do so. Furthermore, you are all required, as genin, to be on top of all the jutsus we've learned so far in the Academy."

Naruto groaned inwardly. At least, when he failed, he would finally have an excuse to learn kage bunshin.

"Uzumaki Naruto…!"

"Hai!"

Naruto followed Iruka stiffly into the other room, and stood in the middle, sweat pouring down his face. He noticed Iruka was sweating as well, but Mizuki wore a smug smile on his face, as if he already knew what was going to happen. As much as Naruto did not want to give the traitor the satisfaction of being right, he probably would still fail this exam.

"Begin," Mizuki called, the arrogant smile still fixed on his face.

Naruto closed his eyes and formed the hand seal. "Bunshin no jutsu!"

When he opened his eyes, there was a clone on either side of him. _Whew, they aren't deformed this time._ As much as he knew he was most likely capable of doing this jutsu, he couldn't help but feel a thrill of dread when he remembered the first time he failed these exams.

Iruka's face was shining with pride, and Mizuki bit his lip.

"Very good," the latter said, his voice sickeningly patronizing. "Now…transform into Iruka, yes?"

Naruto gritted his teeth, wondering if he should just use his Sexy Jutsu to annoy the both of them. Hmm, he should at least make a proper effort, even if he had to fail.

"Henge no jutsu!" Naruto shut his eyes tightly, hoping that he had done it right. He heard someone get to their feet and he looked up.

"Great job, Naruto!" Iruka was positively beaming. "I knew you could do it! You _pass!_" Naruto mentally sighed in relief and wiped the sweat off his brow. _Poof! _He turned back into himself, grinning childishly.

Mizuki's face was sour when Iruka carefully picked out a forehead protector from the table and walked over to Naruto, who removed his goggles. Iruka fastened it around his head proudly.

"I'll treat you to ramen later, to celebrate your success!" Iruka cried, patting Naruto on the back. Naruto took one look at Mizuki's sly expression and knew he was plotting something. Good. Then Naruto would have an excuse to steal the scroll and learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu. And he could blame it all on Mizuki! Naruto grinned cheekily at the traitor, who looked unsettled.

-:-

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cried joyfully when he opened the door and found his favourite teacher standing there.

Iruka smiled at him. "Did I promise you ramen?"

Naruto began to bounce around eagerly. "Yes you did, believe it! Don't tell me you forgot so quickly, sensei?"

"No, no, of course not," Iruka assured him, leading him outside and closing the door behind them. "Have you ever been to Ramen Ichiraku?"

Naruto had to think about it for a moment. "I think you might've treated me to ramen there before, sensei."

"Have I?" Iruka cocked his head to one side thoughtfully. "Well, you can never get enough of ramen, can you Naruto?"

"Never!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully, mentally sighing in relief. He really didn't remember if he had treated him to Ichiraku's before this point and was glad that Iruka-sensei also forgot.

They walked to the ramen shop in silence. Naruto trailed behind Iruka, trying to look like he didn't know exactly where they were going.

-:-

Ayame handed Naruto a steaming bowl of beef ramen, which he dove into with enthusiasm. Iruka sat beside him, a smile on his face, but his own noodles were untouched. At last, Naruto swallowed an outrageously large mouthful and asked, "Why aren't you eating, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka shrugged. "I've been meaning to tell you something."

"What?" Naruto had taken another huge gulp of ramen and chewed silently, gazing at his sensei.

Iruka spoke in a soft voice, sounding both strained and concerned. He told Naruto about his life, and that his parents were killed when the nine-tailed fox invaded.

"I knew you were always alone," Iruka finished, "but I should have done something. I'm sorry."

Naruto was surprised that Iruka-sensei would say something like that now. Shouldn't he wait for a more appropriate time? Naruto hesitated, then nodded. Iruka smiled gently.

"You've always wanted to become Hokage, and it's an admirable dream. But it's going to be hard to reach. I had a big dream once. But I was all alone, with no one to help me, no one to encourage me to fulfill my dreams. I understand the way you feel." Iruka gazed at Naruto kindly. "I'll tell you a special secret, it might help you to become Hokage."

Naruto froze. This…sounded familiar. No way was this something Iruka would say. Then a grin spread across his face. Finally! This was what Mizuki was up to, and he sure wasn't going to miss out on the opportunity. A triumphant expression flickered on the Mizuki-Iruka's face and he leaned down to tell Naruto what he already knew what he was going to say.

-:-

"Hello, Mizuki-san," Iruka said politely, trying to peer around his colleague inside Naruto's dark apartment, wondering where the kid could be. He had told him that he was going to treat him to ramen, wasn't he? Naruto would never dream of missing out on this opportunity. Where could he have gone? Annoyance flashed across Mizuki's face, but Iruka wasn't paying attention.

"Quick, Iruka!" he wheezed, feigning shock and horror. "Naruto has taken the Scroll of Seals…as a prank! We've got to go see the Hokage-sama right away."

Iruka gasped. How could he…how did he…why…?! Naruto wasn't like that, he rarely played pranks anymore. Unless…

He headed in the direction of the woods, his face pale and beaded with sweat. He was almost certain, yes…that Naruto would be there…

As he reached the clearing, he heard the telltale sound of panting and the scrabbling of feet on the forest floor. His eyes raked the clearing, and he spotted the hyperactive ninja sitting on the ground, breathing hard. And sure enough, the scroll was on his back.

"…I've found you," Iruka declared, glaring at Naruto. He looked up, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Iruka noticed that he looked exhausted. He must have been out here practising all night.

"Hey sensei!" Naruto said, grinning innocently up at him. "What are you doing here? I've only had enough time to learn one jutsu! I'll show it to you, and then everyone will admit I'm good enough to be Hokage-ttebayo! Am I good enough, Iruka-sensei? Am I?"

"What?" Iruka asked, shocked. "Who told you that?"

"You, of course! When you treated me to ramen a few hours ago, you told me about this place, and the scroll!"

_No, it couldn't have been…! _Iruka's face dawned with comprehension. Then is must have been someone impersonating him…

His eyes snapped open. Mizuki…!

"Naruto! Get down!"

To his surprise, instead of listening, Naruto bowled him over with surprising speed and strength. The kunai sailed over their heads harmlessly and embedded into the shed beside them.

"I'm surprised you found out about this place."

Iruka got to his feet and pushed Naruto back down, shaking his head. "I see, so that's how it is."

"Mizuki-sensei…?" Naruto asked, his voice was light and curious.

"Naruto, hand over the scroll," Mizuki said, his voice urgent. He held out one hand to Naruto and the other hand tossed another wave of kunai at Iruka.

"Duck!" Iruka cried, but Naruto dodged them instead. His sensei stared at him in amazement. When did Naruto learn how to move to quickly? "Naruto, whatever you do, don't let Mizuki get the scroll! It's dangerous, and filled with forbidden kinjutsu!"

"Don't listen to him," said Mizuki dismissively, "Iruka is just afraid of you possessing that." He held out his hand again, smirking slightly.

"Don't believe him!" Iruka yelled, pulling out handful of kunai of his own.

"I'll tell you the truth," Mizuki purred, his face alight with malice. "Twelve years ago –"

"No!" Iruka yelled, throwing the kunai at the figure standing on the branch. As he expected, Mizuki dodged them easily. The silver-haired traitor laughed and bent down, gazing intently at Naruto.

Naruto glared defiantly back, and Mizuki nearly lost his footing, startled. "Naruto, twelve years ago, there was a rule –"

He was stopped short when Naruto's fist connected with his face.

"Argh…!"

Naruto landed on the branch and crossed his arms. "Hn. I already know. Besides, I'm sure Iruka-sensei and I don't feel like getting impaled by giant shuriken today, so you should save your breath."

The air around Mizuki shimmered and the genjutsu hiding the shuriken on his back broke. Iruka blinked in surprise. How had he not noticed? And how had Naruto noticed? And what did Naruto mean when he said that he already knew...? Or was the kid bluffing...?

Mizuki rubbed his jaw, fuming. "If you don't give me the scroll, demon fox, then I'll take it by force!"

Naruto laughed. "If you can catch me, traitor. Multiple shadow clone jutsu!"

Iruka watched in amazement as his student multiplied before his eyes. Soon, the dark clearing was filled with hundreds of Naruto clones, all complete with a Scroll of Sealing on their backs.

"Catch me if you can!" they proclaimed in synchronization, before taking off in every direction. Mizuki fell off the tree branch in surprise and landed painfully on the ground below, directly in front of Iruka. He struggled to get up, cursing under his breath as the Narutos disappeared into the night. Then before Iruka could react, a giant shuriken soared through the air aiming for his face. Suddenly, a Naruto leapt in the way to intercept it, causing Iruka to shout in horror.

"Naruto...!"

The kage bunshin dissipated into smoke, and the shuriken fell to the ground with a dull thud. Another wave of Narutos burst from the trees.

"If you lay a finger on my sensei…I'll kill you!"

Iruka heard a loud crunch, and he looked up just in time to see Mizuki flying through the air, a trail of blood trickling from his mouth.

"Naruto!"

"Hai, sensei!"

Naruto came bounding towards Iruka, his mouth split in a wide grin. Relieved that he wasn't too badly beaten up, Iruka ran over to him and gave him a bone-crushing hug.

"Hey…!" Naruto protested, his voice muffled by his sensei's arm.

"Naruto…you deserve some ramen." Iruka winked and added playfully. "If you're still up to it that is."

"Of course I am! It's…it's ramen!" Naruto cried, pumping his fist into the air. Iruka glanced warily at the unconscious Mizuki.

"We'd better get him to Hokage-sama. He'll decide what to do with him."

"Alright," Naruto agreed, before going over to Iruka and heaving one of Mizuki's arms over his shoulder.

* * *

Woohoo! I'm on a roll here, and getting hopelessly addicted to writing this story, I'm neglecting RL. Anyways, this chapter was so much fun to write, hope you enjoy! Thank you so much for the support everyone, most especially to **princessbinas **and **hinatamesias18Echizen** for reviewing!


	6. Thus Far

"So you graduated after all…dobe."

"Teme."

Naruto had taken an alternate route to avoid meeting up with Konohamaru and risking being late for the explanatory meeting. Instead, he sent a shadow clone in the general direction he knew the kid was hiding to keep him occupied. Generally speaking, it had been a good plan. And now, he was regretting it. Sooner or later, Sakura-chan and Ino would arrive, and he did not want to be involved in a sticky situation requiring a certain Tobio and a class of unreasonably angry kunoichi. He stood up.

"What are you –" Sasuke began, but Naruto pushed past him none too gently and went to sit beside Hinata instead. He really didn't feel like being shoved into a desk by Sakura-chan. He took a fleeting look at Hinata and bit his lip nervously. He felt uncomfortable, remembering her love confession from his previous life, but brushed it aside. The Hinata he knew right now just _admired _him. That was all. Naruto groaned inwardly as Hinata gave a startled squeak and leapt out of her seat.

"N-naruto-kun…" she mumbled, blushing furiously. Naruto was drawing a blank on how to reply when he heard them.

"I'm first!"

He rolled his eyes. Of course, Sakura-chan and Ino were finally here. He was relieved that he had made his escape not a moment too soon. He could hear their squabbling, and tried to tune them out by striking up a conversation with Hinata. "Erhm, hey Hinata."

She started poking her fingers together, her blush deepening. She didn't answer, but Naruto wasn't paying attention anyways. He was watching Sakura-chan, whose eyes had lit up at the sight of Sasuke. And to think that last time he had thought she was looking at _him_ like that?! He rolled his eyes at his own idiocy. She scampered over to Sasuke's table, where the seat Naruto had occupied moments before was now vacant.

"Ohayo, Sasuke-kun!" she said breathlessly, smiling sweetly at him. Naruto tried not laugh as Sasuke glanced at her briefly, then went back to his brooding. Gosh, he had forgotten how weird their dynamics were when they had started out as genin.

"Can I sit next to you?" she persisted.

Naruto thought he knew what was going to happen next, so he was flabbergasted when Sasuke replied. "Ask the dobe." Why was Sasuke talking? He wasn't supposed to talk. Naruto clearly remembered that Sasuke didn't talk in this situation last time. So why was the teme talking?!

Sakura looked momentarily confused. "Who…?"

Sasuke gestured to Naruto in annoyance. "It's his seat. I couldn't care less."

Sakura looked outraged, but strangely obeyed. "Hey Naruto."

Naruto fell out of the desk and cursed when he felt a rapidly swelling lump forming on his head. So much for not wanting to get injured on account of Sakura-chan earlier. She didn't even need to push him physically. He groaned and struggled to his feet, feeling his sore head.

"Yeah, go ahead Sakura-chan," he grumbled, rubbing the aching knot. She looked at him curiously, then sat down beside Sasuke. However, she continued to look at Naruto with that strangely inquisitive expression that was so unlike her twelve-year-old self.

"Naruto, you don't dye your hair anymore?" she asked. Next to her, Sasuke barely repressed a snort of laughter. Naruto fell out of the desk again. What was with these two?

"Um, no."

Sakura frowned, furrowing her eyebrows. "Oh. I just thought, well, you started acting a lot more mature when you dyed your hair blue."

Naruto was bewildered. "Mature?"

"Mature?" Sasuke echoed in disbelief. Then he added conspiratorially, smirking, "The dobe's never mature, whether his hair is blue or blond."

"Sasuke-teme…!"

Sasuke gave Naruto a smug I-told-you-so look before turning away to face the front of the classroom. Sakura smiled hesitantly, as if she wasn't sure whether or not she was supposed to find it funny. Then she quickly followed Sasuke's example just as Iruka began to speak to the class.

"Starting today, you are all official ninjas, but you are all still new genin," Iruka explained, a wide, cheerful smile on his face. "It's going to get harder from here."

Naruto smiled too, thinking about just how true that statement was.

"You will be put in groups of three, where you will accomplish missions under a jounin teacher."

Naruto suddenly froze. Last time, he had been put on the same team as Sasuke and Sakura-chan because he was at the bottom of the class, and Sasuke had been at the top. Or so Iruka claimed. Was it going to make a difference, now that Naruto was trying harder? Would Shikamaru replace him as the third member of Team Seven? He felt a thrill of fear. Would they do that? Would they?

"A group of three? I hope I get people I can actually work well with," Sasuke mused. Sakura shot him a glance.

"Like who?" she asked curiously.

Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe the dobe. As much as he is unbearably hyperactive and completely insufferable, he's not too bad at teamwork, I'll admit."

Naruto felt a glimmer of warmth. Then he stood up and glared at Sasuke, waving his arms around frantically. "Who are you calling unbearably hyp –"

"We've arranged the groups such that overall abilities are equivalent," Iruka continued, effectively cutting off his tirade. He whipped out a stack of papers from behind his back. "I will now announce them."

Naruto closed his eyes, hoping that he would still be on Team 7, despite his improved grades. He listened as the six genin teams were called, his heart racing a marathon in his chest.

"Next, the seventh team."

Naruto chewed on his lip apprehensively. He really hoped his grades were worse than Shikamaru.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

He really hoped that the people who decide the teams always put every generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio together no matter what.

"Haruno Sakura."

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered, unable to help himself. Sakura gave him a quizzical look and he sat back down. But what if Sasuke wasn't on his team? What if it was, say, Kiba or Shino? He started hyperventilating again.

"And Uchiha Sasuke."

Both Naruto and Sakura stood up at the exact same moment and shouted, "Yeah!" Then they looked at each other and laughed. Sasuke eyed them resignedly, then covered his eyes with one hand. Naruto looked cautiously at Hinata, who looked visibly disappointed.

"Next, eighth group. Hyuuga Hinata."

Hinata jumped, startled. "Y-yes."

"Inuzuka Kiba. Aburame Shino."

Naruto grinned to himself. What was he getting himself all worked up for? The teams were still the same as they once were. He waited as Iruka called out the names for Team 10 and heard Ino's cry of despair and irritation at being grouped with Shikamaru.

"That's it for the groups," Iruka concluded, folding up his papers. "You'll meet your jounin leaders in the afternoon, so that's it for now." Naruto remembered that this was when he voiced his complaints concerning being on the same team as Sasuke. He smiled at the memory. It wasn't like he was going to do it again, not after Sakura admitted that he was a lot more mature than he had been before the hair dye. He groaned, wondering what he was like before Obito had done the reverse time jutsu thingy. He sure hoped he wasn't worse than he had been the first time. Nevertheless, he was curious as to why he was put on the same Team Seven despite all the changes in this life.

"Iruka-sensei," he called, before he could stop himself. "How did you choose the teams, and why am I on the same team as Sasuke?"

Iruka grimaced. "The teams are chosen based on the balance between each member's skill levels. But also, teamwork and individual ability are considered. As you two work well together, despite your differences and constant bickering, naturally we considered you and Sasuke when we made the teams. Similarly, despite similar habits shared by the members of the newly formed Team 10, they were placed on the team mainly because of their ability to work as one."

_As one_, Naruto echoed in his head, fondly recalling why their team had failed the bell test. "I see. Thank you Iruka-sensei."

Iruka smiled and dipped his head in acknowledgement as Academy students filed out of the classroom one at a time. Naruto was last to leave. He went to his favourite sensei, who was now stacking the papers neatly on his desk.

"Oh, hello Naruto," he greeted, when he realized he was lingering behind. "You should be heading to lunch now."

"Yeah, I guess so," Naruto replied, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "Do you need any help?"

Iruka looked surprised. "Oh no, it's fine. You should go ahead, you wouldn't want to miss your first meeting with your new jounin sensei!"

Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. His first meeting with Kakashi-sensei, ha! "Of course, I understand." He turned to leave, but Iruka held out his hand to stop him.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Iruka said, scratching his nose. "About that confrontation with Mizuki…"

Naruto stiffened. "Hai, sensei?"

"How did you know about the…well, the…um…"

Naruto laughed awkwardly. "The nine-tailed fox sealed inside me?"

Iruka gulped and nodded, averting his gaze.

"Well," said Naruto, thinking fast. "I overheard some lady talking about it when I was younger. She didn't…know that I was listening though."

"And you believed her?"

"Um, it became kind of obvious once I heard more whispers and rumours," he said carefully.

Iruka nodded, and his eyes were sad. "I'm sorry you had to go through a tough childhood like that, Naruto. I understa –"

"I know," Naruto interrupted. He knew he was going to get teary-eyed if his sensei continued. He waved quickly before Iruka could say anything else and left the classroom.

* * *

Yay, no more writer's block! :D  
Special thanks to **GGxZeus**,** Reineserpent**,** jasono346**,** hinatamesias18Echizen**,** princessbinas** for the reviews, and also for all the people who faved, followed, and read this story. It makes me so happy that you're interested in this idea and my writing, I love you guys!


	7. Team Seven

"Ano…Sasuke-kun. Do you want to eat together since we're in the same group now?"

Sasuke had been skulking in the shadows by the front door of the Academy, inconspicuously waiting for the dobe – or so he thought. Leave it to the pink-haired kunoichi to foil his stupid plan. Trying to stall time, he muttered something unintelligible under his breath. What was Naruto doing, and why was he taking so long? He was beginning to regret waiting for him.

"S-sasuke-kun…?" Sakura asked tentatively, walking closer towards him.

Ah! There he was. Sasuke swallowed down his pride, which was beginning to taste like bile and greeted the dobe with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. "Hey, Naruto!"

Naruto glanced up as he came out of the door, looking astonished. "Sasuke?" Then his mouth stretched into a sly, devious grin. "You were waiting for me, dattebayo?"

"Shut up," Sasuke muttered. He heard Sakura's hesitant footsteps draw nearer to them and they both half-turned.

"How about it?" Sakura gazed at him expectantly, still persevering for an answer. Then she turned to Naruto as well, surprising them both. Little did they know, she surprised herself as well. "Do you guys want to eat lunch together? I thought…maybe we could get to know each other."

Sasuke heaved a long, world-weary sigh. Did he really have to?

"Melodramatic teme," he heard Naruto complain under his breath. A small smile flitted across Sasuke's face.

"I already know that loser well enough," he grumbled, pointing accusingly at Naruto. "Well, I suppose…"

"That'd be great, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said cheerfully. "I just need to go home and get my cup ramen first. Then I'll be right back!"

"You and your ramen…" Sasuke muttered disdainfully. Naruto beamed at him, resolutely ignoring his tone of voice. Sakura smiled pleasantly at the both of them, looking absolutely ecstatic. Sasuke sighed again, and Naruto fell backwards into a bush at the pleased look on Sakura's face.

"Great!" she exclaimed, not noticing what Naruto had just done. "I'll meet you guys back here in a couple of minutes."

Sasuke watched as Sakura skipped away, humming happily to herself. When she disappeared, he smirked. "Dobe. What's gotten into you?"

Naruto struggled wildly to free himself from the thick foliage, cursing. "N-nothing," he mumbled defensively. He brushed the leaves off of his orange jumpsuit and turned away, hiding his face.

Sasuke glared at his back, unconvinced.

"It's just unusual-ttebayo," Naruto said, his gaze firmly averted. "Why would Sakura-chan want to eat lunch with _both _of us? She clearly wants to eat lunch with you, not me!"

Sasuke smirked. The dobe was so clueless sometimes. "Didn't you hear her back in the classroom, loser? She thinks you're a lot more mature than before, so she's treating you with respect. Not that you deserve it, of course."

Naruto looked outraged. "Oy, take that back!"

"Hn."

"Teme…!"

-:-

"Delicious!" Naruto mumbled, his mouth stuffed full of ramen. Sasuke shot him a good-natured glare before returning to his riceball. They ate quietly for a long time, watching the clouds move across the sky. Sakura hadn't spoken since they had begun eating lunch, which struck Naruto as odd. He would have thought she would try and strike up a conversation with Sasuke.

"Three-person team, isn't it?" Sasuke finally said, breaking the silence. "That would only slow me down."

Naruto had been wondering if he'd ever say that line. He grinned and pointed his chopsticks directly at Sasuke's face, causing him to shrink back in revulsion. "I thought you said I wasn't that bad at teamwork, believe it!"

Sakura blushed and looked down at her feet. "Sasuke-kun probably means me."

Naruto jolted. When did Sakura-chan become so blunt and straightforward? "Ano, since we'll be on the same team for a while, we'll all improve together. Besides, Sasuke's an idiot." He glared at the said idiot and added, "You better not act like you're better than the rest of us, teme."

"I don't need to act –" Sasuke began, but Naruto poked him forcefully with his chopsticks.

"Dobe…!" Sasuke spluttered angrily, wiping his face with a napkin. He looked ready to strangle someone. Naruto stood up and fled into the forest, laughing hysterically.

_And just after I admitted he was mature too_… Sasuke and Sakura thought simultaneously, groaning.

-:-

"Seriously, Naruto," Sakura protested, "I thought pranks were beneath you!" She glanced at the chalkboard eraser again, regretting her feelings of hope for their team. She had really thought Naruto had given up these immature acts, but it turned out he was just the same old Naruto before the blue hair dye. She was now regretting that she ate lunch with him and wished she had opted to eat with just Sasuke-kun instead. But she had a strange feeling that if Naruto hadn't agreed to come, Sasuke would have made up an excuse to eat alone. The two really were inseparable, even though they acted like they despised each others' guts.

"But Sakura-chan, our jounin sensei is the only one that's late. All the other teams have met their teachers already. Heh heh, he deserves it," Naruto explained, grinning from ear to ear. "So just relax, sit tight, and enjoy the show." He made his point by promptly settling down on Iruka-sensei's desk, swinging his feet.

Sakura sighed. "Fine, but if you get in trouble…" she said half-heartedly. Hmm, in all honesty, she was looking forward to it. It would be amusing if their teacher fell for the trick. And a small part of her agreed with Naruto, that he definitely deserved it for coming so late.

"A jounin isn't going to fall for a booby trap like that," Sasuke said, crushing her hopes. "You have to be more ingenious."

"Yeah, Naruto. Sasuke-kun is right. You –" she stopped in her tracks. Huh? Did he just say what she thought she heard? "What do you mean more ingenious?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I, um…just forget it." She could swear that a light blush was forming on his cheeks.

It was at that moment that their newly appointed sensei chose to make an appearance. The door slowly slid open, revealing a grey-haired man wearing standard Konoha attire. She gaped at his overly obstructive mask, his ridiculous hair, which was now covered in chalk dust. No, she mustn't laugh, she told herself. Sakura tried to pull herself together just in time as the jounin stuck his head into the room. He eyed the three of them warily just as Naruto burst into raucous laughter.

"He fell for it! He fell for it!" he cheered, bouncing up and down. Even Sasuke gave a tiny, almost undetectable smile. Sakura couldn't help but let out a small giggle of her own. Though it was a foolish idea, she told herself sternly, Naruto really did lighten the mood. It was nerve-wracking to encounter a powerful shinobi such as the man before them for the first time. Though, now she definitely didn't find him terrifying, must less respectable. She closed her eyes in shame. What was she thinking?

Their sensei picked up the eraser and examined it with his eyelids half-closed. She wondered if he was still mostly asleep. That would explain why he fell for Naruto's crude prank. "How should I say this…my first impressions of you guys are…I hate you."

Sakura and Sasuke grimaced and glared accusingly at Naruto, who looked as carefree and ridiculously cheerful as ever. Did this guy ever feel guilty?

"I'll meet you on the roof," the grey-haired jounin said, before taking a flying leap out the window and out of sight.

"The roof…?!"

-:-

"Let's see, why don't you introduce yourselves?"

Sakura bit her lip nervously. "Introduce ourselves? What should we say?"

Naruto tried to hold down his laughter as Kakashi shrugged. "What you like, hate, your dreams, and hobbies. Something like that."

When no one spoke, Naruto realized that he was supposed to say something. "Ano-sa, ano-sa, why don't you introduce yourself first, sensei?"

"Me?" he asked, his tone light, almost amused. "I'm Hatake Kakashi. Things I like and things I hate…I don't feel like telling you that. As for my dream…" he paused, his eyes flickering over the three of them before continuing. "…I have a few hobbies."

"Well, that was useless. All he really told us was his name," Sakura grumbled. Naruto grinned impishly and shrugged his shoulders.

"Now it's your turn," Kakashi said, gesturing to Naruto to begin. "You first."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I like cup ramen. But I like the ramen at Ichiraku that Iruka-sensei bought for me even more. I hate the three minutes that I have to wait after I pour the hot water. My hobby is to eat and compare cup ramen! And my dream is to become the greatest Hokage. So then, the whole village will stop disrespecting me and treat me like I'm somebody, somebody important!"

He was sure he got the gist of his speech right.

Kakashi's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. Naruto could almost hear the thoughts whirring through his head.

"Okay, next."

Sakura cleared her throat. "I'm Haruno Sakura! I like…well the person I like is…" she glanced surreptitiously at Sasuke, giggling slightly. "And my hobby is…well, my dream is to…" she giggled again.

And he had thought the Sakura he knew had changed! That was the exact same thing she said last time. Naruto slumped and glared at the ground.

"And? What do you hate?" Kakashi asked, sounding as annoyed as Naruto felt.

"I hate…"

Naruto covered his face. _Kuso, it's me…_

"…my forehead."

Naruto glanced up at her. Okay, so she did change. He felt a huge grin stretching his face.

"Next," Kakashi said, with what they could see of his face impressively impassive.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto felt a thrill of fear. This would be the first time that Sasuke mentioned Itachi discreetly. That had been last time though. Although four years ago, Sasuke had told him that he would not play directly into his brother's hands, did he still feel the same way now?

"I hate a lot of things."

He didn't seem like he had changed very much. Would he want revenge? _No…please…not after all his hard work…_

"And I don't particularly like anything."

_No…_

"And my dream…"

_No…_

"…is an ambition that I have no intention of leaving as just a dream."

_No…_

"The revival of my clan…"

_No…!_

"…and to prove that I'm stronger than my brother, and make my parents proud!"

_YOSH…!_

Naruto was making a habit of falling over every time someone did or said the unexpected. This time, he was much more unfortunate. He toppled over and fell off the roof. As he plunged off the side of the building, he had a vague flashback of him and Sasuke during their final fight. He suddenly came to an abrupt halt, which ended his reverie.

"Get a grip, loser," he heard Sasuke say. He glanced up. Sure enough, the teme had caught him before he shattered his head on the pavement below. He was dangling over the railing, hanging only by his feet, which Sasuke was gripping on to.

"Nice reflexes," Naruto noted, grimacing as his face started turning purple from the strain. In one swift motion, Sasuke pulled Naruto over the edge and set him haphazardly on the stairs. As they both expected, he tumbled down the steps and landed on his face.

"I have no choice but to keep on my toes with you around," Sasuke grumbled in retaliation. "You're such a dobe."

A grin lit up Naruto's face and he flashed him a thumbs up before flattening himself against into the concrete, defeated.

"All right, now pull yourself together," Kakashi barked sternly. "You three have unique personalities. I like that. Now listen carefully. We're going to begin a mission starting tomorrow."

He paused for effect, but the three genin stayed silent. Kakashi flushed slightly, but continued as if nothing had happened. "Survival training."

"Why are we going to train when it's a mission?" Sakura inquired, her voice shaking slightly. "We had plenty of training in the Academy."

"This is no ordinary training," Kakashi added, beginning to cackle in anticipation. He was enjoying himself, Naruto was sure. _Maniacal sensei…_

"Hey, what's so funny, sensei?" Sakura wondered, watching Kakashi with an irritated expression.

"There's a 66% dropout rate," Naruto interrupted without thinking. "Only nine of the twenty-seven graduates are going to become genin."

Kakashi glowered suspiciously at him. "How did you –"

"Ano…I heard it somewhere," Naruto lied. "Anyways, it's a pass or fail survival test, right?"

"That's right," he agreed. "Whether you pass or fail is determined tomorrow at the training grounds. Bring all your equipment and we'll meet at 5 AM! Oh yeah…and don't eat breakfast. You'll throw up if you do."

With those ominous parting words, Kakashi disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Overly dramatic sensei…" Naruto muttered as the smoke cleared.

Sakura cracked a smile. "Ah well, then see you tomorrow, Naruto, Sasuke-kun." She looked a little green, and she eyed her fingers apprehensively. Sasuke didn't look so good either. His hands were shaking, and he looked a bit pale. Sakura and Sasuke stood up and turned in opposite directions and prepared to leave.

Naruto gritted his teeth, torn. Finally, he gathered up his courage and shouted, "Wait!"

They both stopped and turned around to stare at him.

"Um, guys…don't listen to Kakashi-sensei's advice, dattebayo," he said in a low voice. Ugh, he was going to sound stupid.

Sasuke folded his arms across his chest. "Why not?" he asked pointedly.

"Yeah, Sasuke-kun's right," Sakura added. "I really don't feel like throwing up."

Naruto gnashed his teeth harder. This was trickier than he expected. "Well, it's not sensible. Think about it – we'll need our energy if we're going to pass this test. Kakashi-sensei just wants to deter us, and make it harder."

To his surprise, Sasuke was nodding slowly. "That makes sense. Besides, it wouldn't hurt. If we throw up, we throw up, no big deal."

Sakura's face became even greener. "I g-guess you're right," she stammered. "Thanks…Naruto-kun."

For the third time that day, Naruto fell to the floor. When was Sakura-chan going to stop surprising him like that?

* * *

I watched both the English dubbed and the Japanese one with the subtitles while writing this, so some of the exactly worded dialogue is from one while some is from the other. Anyways, this chapter is a tad longer than the one before, and hopefully satisfying! Thanks for reading!  
Again, a special shout out to all who reviewed the last chapter: **hinatamesias18Echizen, gameipedia, princessbinas, geetac, GGxZeus & guests. **You have no idea how much it means to me, and thank you so much for making writing this so much fun! It's means a lot to me when people like my work. *gigantic virtual glomp hugs*


	8. Hiruzen's Bell Test

Slipping his keys into the pockets of his bright orange jumpsuit, Naruto proceeded to rumple his dishevelled blonde hair and adjust his hitai-ate more securely on his forehead. He stepped back, admiring his reflection in the window set into the green door. A voice from behind him made him jump violently and his keys fell out and clattered to the floor.

"Naruto. You overslept."

He whirled around, nearly tripping over his feet as he went. He spotted Sasuke balancing precariously on the slanted railing, a smirk on his face.

"It's not _that_ late, teme," he whined, giving his hair another quick ruffle. Then he picked up his keys and tucked them back inside his pocket. Sasuke alighted on the wooden landing and huffed impatiently.

"It's eight o'clock. You're three hours late," he reminded him.

"And let me guess – Kakashi-sensei isn't there either."

Sasuke frowned, his forehead creasing. "Honestly you baka. There's no excuse."

Naruto danced out of the way, snickering as Sasuke straightened up. "Then I'll race ya there. You know, you're late now too…"

"Dobe!"

-:-

"You're late," Kakashi mused, pocketing a bright orange book that Naruto recognized as Pervy Sage's _Icha Icha Paradise_. Naruto stifled a snort of laughter at the familiar sight.

"You're one to talk," Sasuke muttered, panting. He directed his words at Kakashi, but shot a pointed glare in Naruto's direction. The Uchiha was sulking because he lost the race, Naruto realized gleefully.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Let's move on."

Walking a few metres away from where they were standing, he tapped on an alarm clock placed on the polished surface of a tree stump. "The alarm is set at 12 PM. All you need to do," he held up a pair of tiny silver bells strung on a slender red thread, "is to get these from me."

A small, nostalgic grin lit up Naruto's face. He had forgotten how fun it had been to do the bell test with his whole team intact.

"You won't get lunch until you do. I'm going to tie you to one of those stumps and eat mine in front of you."

Sasuke hn'd noncommittally. No doubt he had followed through on his advice, Naruto thought with undisguised delight. Even though she claimed she was on a diet, Sakura seemed to have eaten as well. Neither seemed intimidated by Kakashi's words, and the jounin was pleasantly surprised, though he hid it well.

"But wait, why are there only two bells?"

Leave it to Sakura and her keen analytical skills. Naruto's grin widened.

"Then that way, at least one of you will have to be tied to the log," Kakashi replied, sounding amused. "And that person will fail and be sent back to the Academy. If you aren't prepared to kill me, you'll never get one of these bells."

Sakura looked unnerved as their sensei dangled the bells in front of them again, tauntingly. "But sensei, that's too dangerous!"

Naruto patted her on the arm without thinking. "He's a jounin, Sakura-chan. I doubt we'll even be able to hurt him even if we tried." He was stunned to see that she didn't flinch from the contact; rather she gave him a small, shaky smile. He was just thankful that she didn't punch him into the ground.

"What kind of a jounin is he if he couldn't even dodge Naruto's chalk eraser?" Sasuke muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.

Kakashi didn't seem to hear the last comment because he addressed Naruto. "No? Pessimistic are we? You're not making a very good impression on me so far. We're going to start after I say 'ready, start'."

Naruto gave an irritable huff. He had forgotten how insufferable Kakashi-sensei could be at times and he itched to give him a good thwacking. If he hadn't had the former knowledge that his sensei was purposely trying to provoke him into an attack, he might've charged at him blindly and unthinkingly. Even so, it took all his willpower to pass up this opportunity. Kakashi glanced at his efforts in amusement.

"Ready…start."

Naruto knew what Kakashi expected now, and he didn't want him the satisfaction. "Let's go, teme."

Sasuke didn't object, nor react to the customary insult. He silently followed Naruto's lead as they headed for the woods with Sakura tagging hesitantly along. She maintained a healthy distance, worried that her uninvited presence was unwelcome. Once in a while, she would pause behind a tree, half-hoping that they would notice her advances.

"Good, everyone is hidden nicely," Kakashi murmured, half-expecting the hyperactive knucklehead to come out into the open. When he didn't, Kakashi shrugged and tugged the book out of his pocket and began to read. "Ah…where was I?"

-:-

"Where are we going, dobe?" Sasuke hissed, cursing when a branch almost smacked him squarely in the face. "Watch it!"

"Ha! No way!" Naruto crowed, turning back to give him a cheeky grin. "There, up ahead. There's a clearing, I think."

They emerged from the leafy undergrowth, glad to be finally out in the open. Naruto glanced back into the woods warily for any sign of Kakashi.

"He's not coming," Sasuke assured him, his keen ears listening carefully for familiar footsteps but only finding the sound of Sakura's. Naruto let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the stretch of grass. Sasuke sat down beside him, his gaze drifting to the clouds above.

After a short pause, they turned to each other and simultaneously asked, "What's the plan?"

"I'll take the offensive, and you can back me up," Sasuke offered, twirling a shuriken on his index finger in obvious anticipation. "You're better at dodging things anyways."

Naruto grimaced, folding his arms. He had been about to suggest the same thing, only their roles were reversed. "That's only 'cause you throw things at me too much – gyah!" He ducked to evade the shuriken that Sasuke flicked at his head.

Sasuke grinned cheekily and flicked a second shuriken into his fingers. "As I was saying…"

"Hey! You could've killed me! Fine, fine. Have it your way Sasuke," he said, defeated.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto-kun!" Sakura emerged from the dense foliage, her face flushed and beaded with perspiration. "W-wait for me! What are you guys doing?"

"Teaming up," Naruto replied promptly, to which Sasuke gave a stiff nod. "We'll never be able to get a bell on our own."

"Shut it, dobe," Sasuke grumbled. "I can get a bell easily by myself without your help."

"Sure, sure," Naruto agreed easily, grinning.

Sakura looked from one to the other, her green eyes growing progressively wider in evident confusion. "Then…I…"

Naruto caught on immediately. "Sakura-chan, want to work with us?" Naruto asked hurriedly, giving her an enormous grin. She brightened.

"Too many people will only slow me down," Sasuke interrupted, quoting himself. Sakura's face fell and she looked away.

"I understand," she murmured.

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto glared at the Uchiha, his face livid. "What's your problem?"

"We're wasting time here," he said coolly, standing up and turning on his heel. "Are you coming or not? We have to hurry up and figure out a way to get our hands on one of those bells before lunch."

"I…"

"I meant what I said about being perfectly capable to get a bell alone," Sasuke continued, not looking back. "But I know that you can't, so come on!"

Naruto glanced at Sakura desperately, torn. She gave him an encouraging glance and a warm smile that didn't match the unhappiness she felt inside. Naruto gritted his teeth and went after Sasuke, his feet dragging. He gave her one last apologetic smile before hurrying into the woods. She heard him calling out, and Sasuke responded with something incomprehensible.

Crestfallen, Sakura watched as her teammates' voices faded into the darkness of the woods. She was too weak to be of any use to them and she would slow them down, she realized sadly.

"Fine. If that's how it is, Sasuke-kun," she said aloud, her voice echoing in the empty clearing. She balled up her fists. She would prove it to them that she wasn't as pathetic as they assumed. She would show them that they were underestimating her abilities as a Leaf kunoichi. She would get a bell from Kakashi-sensei and earn the respect of her blockheaded teammates. Then they would finally be a team and work as a team, she decided. She was determined to prove herself.

Though, how she was going to do that was a mystery.

-:-

Kakashi turned a page, his visible eye scanning the blocks of text with apparent relish. Hearing the faint whistling of incoming shuriken, he executed a quick body replacement jutsu without being seen and hid himself in the foliage. He was mildly surprised to find that the shuriken were just an ingenious diversion for a larger-scale attack. He didn't know that his genin team was capable of strategy as far as he was concerned. Nevertheless, the only member that showed any promise was Uchiha Sasuke, so Kakashi supposed it was he who planned this staged attack. Impressive, but not enough.

The flurry of shuriken missed as the Kakashi substitute ducked, his eyes unnaturally still and trained glassily to the book in his hand. A fraction of a second later, the fake Kakashi was impaled by a giant fuma shuriken.

"We got him! We got him!" Kakashi heard Naruto's joyful yell nearby. A moment later, the orange-clad genin had leapt out of his hiding spot among the bushes, pointing triumphantly at the apparently skewered Kakashi.

The real Kakashi stifled a groan. He would have to teach that little knucklehead the importance of staying concealed, not that it would do much good anyways. In his head, he had already dismissed Naruto as a useless deadlast, destined to be sent back to the Academy. Maybe it was better for the team as a whole to drop him out of the program altogether.

The substitution gave a soft pop and transformed into a log. Naruto yelped in surprise, and Kakashi stood up and made his way towards the unsuspecting genin.

"A ninja must always see through deception," he said calmly, silently gauging Naruto's reaction.

The kid turned slowly, and a devilish grin spread across his face. "Look who's talking, sensei." Then he vanished in a puff of smoke. Kakashi's eye widened. _A shadow clone…?!_

He had been told that Naruto wasn't even able to perform a simple clone jutsu back at the Academy, so how…? It was a good thing Kakashi was always overly prepared in battle, despite his preconceived notions about his genin team. Even battling what appeared to the weakest adversaries, he never let his guard down.

So when a second Naruto – unknown to him if it was the real one or another shadow clone – pierced Kakashi in the back with a kunai, he disappeared with a pop and a burst of smoke.

The real Kakashi was impressed now, crouching on a branch of a nearby tree. He put away his Icha Icha, much to his annoyance. Never had he had to deal with a genin team without his beloved book, but it couldn't be helped. He needed to concentrate much more of his attention on Naruto than he had originally anticipated, otherwise –

"Kya!"

Kakashi turned his head just in time to catch of glimpse of pink hair as Sakura lost her balance and fell off the tree branch. He watched her dust herself off in amusement. Kunoichi her age were always more interested in their appearance than ninja training. Sakura smoothed out her hair and dress, looking disgruntled. This was a testament to that fact.

"Hello there," Kakashi called down. Sakura gave a violent start, promptly turning into a log in a puff of smoke. Now he was amazed. To think the pink-haired kunoichi was also showing signs of promise…

"Sensei?"

Kakashi turned to see the real Sakura balancing on a branch of an adjacent tree, a single silver bell sparkling in her outstretched hand. How could she…?! Kakashi's eye widened. He had underestimated her. He had only let down his guard momentarily, and somehow, she had slipped past his defences and retrieved one of the bells without him noticing. How odd indeed…

His gaze flickered to the bells tied to the hem of his flak jacket just in time. A hand was reaching shakily towards them. As Kakashi jerked away, Sakura's index finger brushed the red string, eliciting a soft tinkling from one of the silver bells. Kakashi backflipped off the branch, righting himself in midair and landing gracefully on his toes.

"Show off," he heard someone mutter somewhere from behind him. Instantly pinpointing the speaker's location, Kakashi dispatched a few shadow clones to search for what he was sure was where Naruto's voice was coming from. He was trusting his judgement less and less the longer the survival training progressed. Kakashi could only hope that he wouldn't be reduced to a complete imbecile by the end of it.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Kakashi raised his head curiously as one of his shadow clones was engulfed in an impressive ball of superheated chakra flames. At the same time, several Naruto shadow clones targeted the others, smashing the Kakashis mercilessly into the ground with well-aimed blows. As all of the Kakashi's dispersed, Naruto gave a loud groan.

"Really sensei? After all that work?"

"Shut up," Sasuke said half-heartedly, but he looked almost as disappointed as Naruto. He shifted his stance slightly, readying his hands to manipulate hand seals at a moment's notice. Naruto moved into position so that he was standing back to back with Sasuke.

"I've got your back, teme."

"So do I, dobe."

Kakashi almost laughed out loud at their ridiculously efficient teamwork. No wonder Hokage-sama insisted on putting them on the same team. He was enjoying this very much indeed. A flash of red and pink caught his eye, and he realized that he was overlooking something yet again. He was so caught up in eluding Naruto and Sasuke's efforts that he had forgotten about Sakura. He clasped his hands together, readying himself to cast a genjutsu.

At that moment, the alarm went off.

Naruto cursed under his breath, and Sasuke gripped his kunai even tighter until his knuckles turned white. Sakura paused mid-stride and tripped, landing on her face.

Kakashi stepped into the clearing where his genin squad was, dispersing the various shadow clones with a swift hand seal. He stared at them for a long time. They looked so ridiculous now that their time was up.

Sakura lifted her dirt-streaked face, looking sheepish. Naruto remained completely motionless, his back to Kakashi and dropped his kunai. Sasuke whirled around, his expression stricken.

"We failed, didn't we?" Sakura whispered, rubbing the grime out of her face.

"So much for teamwork," Sasuke said, sounding frustrated. "Now what?"

"Technically," Kakashi said smoothly, plucking the kunai from Sasuke's slack grip and pocketing it. "I should fail all of you for not being able to retrieve the bells on time."

Their shoulders slumped, and Sakura's head flopped limply back into the ground.

"However," he continued, retrieving Naruto's kunai from the ground. "This exercise was meant to test your ability to work together. As a three-man cell."

"We worked together," Sasuke argued, but his voice faltered. "Didn't we…Naruto?" He glanced at Naruto, who still hadn't turned around. Naruto didn't answer.

"A three-man cell," Kakashi repeated coldly, trying his best not to laugh.

Sasuke clapped a hand to his forehead and groaned loudly. "Of course…! Damn it, we forgot to include Sakura."

Kakashi gave him a curt nod. As he had expected, he had caught on rather quickly. "And Sakura, you chose to work alone in the end, despite your previous perseverance. I heard what you said, so don't bother denying it."

Sakura stumbled to her feet, her face slightly pink. "I…I just wanted to prove…to show Sasuke-kun that I was just as capable of getting a bell…"

Sasuke hung his head in shame and looked away.

Kakashi shook his head. "That's no excuse. You're put on a team of three for a reason. To work together to succeed, even if one teammate slows you down in a certain field. Working with one member is a step in the right direction, but excluding the other completely is unforgivable. And choosing _not_ to work with your team, that's even worse."

Even Naruto flinched at that. Kakashi wondered if he was being too harsh. Then again, that was what he was supposed to do. He decided that it was time to put them up to the ultimate test before the three of them started to lose their anger. "As a punishment for working solo the entire time, Sakura will be tied to the log and not get lunch. Naruto, Sasuke. You are forbidden to feed her. If you do, you will fail immediately. We will resume the bell test in the afternoon."

-:-

"The nerve of that guy!" Naruto fumed, glaring into the distance. He was sure Kakashi-sensei was hiding there. So he tied Sakura-chan to the log, huh? Just because he and Sasuke wouldn't let her join them? It was so _unfair!_

"I should've let Sakura work with us," Sasuke muttered, lacing his fingers together. His bento lay untouched in front of his feet, and he didn't seem to be interested in eating lunch.

"Ah, it's not your fault," Naruto reasoned. "None of us knew that something like this was going to happen. Kakashi-sensei should've given us more time."

"It's my own fault," Sakura said miserably, picking at the thick ropes binding her to the log. "I should've been more persistent, like Kakashi-sensei said."

"Kakashi-sensei is an idiot," Naruto seethed. "He's just talking nonsense. How the hell is this your fault, when you didn't do anything wrong?"

Sakura was silent. Her eyes roamed listlessly over cloudy sky, wondering if she really was going to be sent back to the Academy. If the other two were going down with her, she would never forgive herself.

"Sakura-chan, are you hungry?" Naruto asked, glancing at her dejected expression with concern.

"Oh, no! Of course not," she said quickly, flushing. "I'm…on a diet."

"Sakura," Sasuke said unexpectedly, handing her his unopened bento and his chopsticks. "You need to eat to keep your strength up."

Naruto guessed he was still feeling responsible for refusing to let her join them in their teamwork effort. "You feeling guilty, pal?"

Sasuke glared at him, but his expression relaxed slightly. "Yes I do, okay? Don't hold me to it though."

Sakura gaped at him as if she couldn't quite understand what she was seeing. "Sasuke-kun…"

"Just take it," Naruto said, sprawling carelessly across the grassy slopes. "Sasuke is rarely this generous…he's usually a lot more possessive with his food, so I don't know what's up with him today."

Sakura gave the uneaten bento a frightened glance.

"Come on, Sakura-chan! If you don't want to take it because you're scared of Sasuke's wrath, then you can have mine. I'm not that hungry anyways. I ate four cups of ramen for breakfast!"

An ominous crackling noise interrupted their conversation, cutting off Sakura's reply. The sky darkened threateningly and the light breeze picked up speed and intensity. Naruto shivered as Kakashi's face loomed over the three of them, his eyes glinting with anger.

"What did I tell you about feeding Sakura?" he asked, his voice menacing.

"Hn. Like we'd listen to your stupid rules. Sakura's part of our team, and she needs to keep up her strength if we're going to get one of those bells," Sasuke said gravely, averting his gaze from their sensei.

"Yeah!" Naruto chimed, grinning slightly. "You're being kind of unreasonable, Kakashi-sensei. Why did you tie Sakura-chan to the stump when it's clearly Sasuke and my fault that we didn't work together as a three-man team?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow incredulously. "I am your sensei. I make the rules here. It doesn't matter if you think they're fair or not."

"Then it's good we're being sent back to the Academy," Sasuke added. "We'll be put on a different genin squad next year and we'll get a proper sensei that actually makes rules that make sense."

Kakashi's eyebrow returned to its original position and he smiled underneath his mask. "Very good. Though I don't much care for the last comment, Sasuke, I can see that you are considering each other as comrades. And that is the true meaning of this mission. It's about time that I…passed the three of you."

A smile played across Sasuke's lips. "I knew you were bluffing, Kakashi."

Kakashi nearly toppled backwards in shock. "That means…you were bluffing too?"

Sasuke nodded and Naruto grinned happily, as if he knew all along.

Sakura sagged in her restraints, relieved. "And you guys had me worried there for a moment! I thought Kakashi was going to kill Sasuke-kun for what he said."

Sasuke shrugged, looking pleased with himself. "Well he didn't. And man, am I hungry." He reached towards his bento cheerfully, and emptied its contents into his mouth. "This is delicious, by the way."

Kakashi was rendered speechless for a moment, before collapsing onto the ground, laughter bubbling helplessly to his throat.

* * *

I apologize for the lack of updates; I was losing inspiration for this story. So here's an extra-long chapter (compared to the rest, at least)!


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